Month: March 2016

It has always amazed me that what we see in the night sky is from the past and not the present. And, I have always wanted to talk about it. When I see a star in the sky, it makes me wonder what would have been happening on Earth when this star was actually like…

Well, now what are these luxuries? These are the accessories that you would like to use in order to get an enhanced view of the objects you wish to see. Without these accessories, some celestial objects might seem faint or too small or false-colored. There might also be certain objects that might not be visible…

Just like any other instrument, accessories have been designed for telescopes too. Some accessories are indispensable while others are need-based enhancements. It is also worth noting that telescopes generally come pre-packaged with some accessories. So, it becomes an important factor when buying a telescope. We will see the various accessories, categorizing them as either Indispensable…

I know you would be excited to buy your first telescope. Well, I was. Or maybe you already did and are not happy with it or just want to add another arrow to your quiver. In this post, I will try to help you make a decision. Whether or not it is the right choice…

You read about catoptric (reflecting) and dioptric (refracting) telescopes in the previous posts. Now, we will study the third kind – catadioptric. The term, as is evident, is a portmanteau of the former two terms (catoptric + dioptric = catadioptric), not just literally but also technically. A catadioptric telescope is one where refraction and reflection…

The refracting telescopes, in older days, suffered from severe chromatic aberration, which is now being dealt with in a variety of ways including better refractor designs.However, back in the 17th century, a new design arose that acted as an alternative to the refractor design, not suffering from chromatic aberration, owing to the fact that only…

A refracting or refractor telescope is a type of telescope that uses a lens as its objective to form an image. Refracting telescopes are also referred to as dioptric (i.e. dealing with refraction of light, especially by lenses).[1] These were the earliest type of telescope used. In fact, all the startling discoveries that Galileo did,…

As mentioned before, choosing a good telescope is important in order to get started on stargazing. And, in order to choose one, it is pertinent that we study the fundamentals of a telescope. Then we will see the different types of telescopes. Well, to begin with, binocular is not a bad option. Although I haven’t…